The sequel
by jwg676
Summary: The sequel to 'you are my sunshine'
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The sequel

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Tsunade, Nara Shikamaru

**Word Count: **1, 071 words

**Warnings: **Spoilers if you haven't read 'you are my sunshine'

**Summary: **Naruto is trying to recover from his trauma, a mission comes along for the genin

**A/N: **Yes, there is a sequel. Yes, this is it. And yes, it's dedicated to everyone who read and reviewed 'you are my sunshine'… this is for you!!!!!!

_Panting, he struggled to free himself from the soaked sheets that were tangled around his legs like tentacles. The memory of his screams were still ringing in his ears and his frantic struggles increased, culminating in him falling off his bed and knocking over the bedside table._

_At last free of his bed clothes, Naruto flipped the light switch and tried to calm his breathing as the warmth of the light dispelled the shadows._

_Reaching for his clothes, Naruto dressed swiftly and left his apartment behind, not even noticing that he'd left the door wide open._

Humming softly under her breath, Sakura climbed the stairs and walked down the grimy corridor that led directly to Naruto's apartment. In one hand she carried a foil covered bowl of ramen, in the other a set of chopsticks and a smaller bowl of fresh fruit salad.

It took several seconds for Sakura to realize that Naruto's front door was wide open, his apartment in darkness.

Frowning, Sakura hesitated on the threshold, calling his name.

'Naruto?'

When she got no response, she stepped inside, putting the bowls down on the table and sliding her hand along the wall to the light switch.

Flipping it up, she blinked against the sudden brightness and stared in shock at what she saw.

Naruto's apartment was completely empty, his blankets strewn across the floor, the nightstand and whatever else had been on it had been knocked over. Fear rising, Sakura tried to remember if anything had happened in the last two weeks since Naruto had left the hospital, but nothing came to mind.

'They escaped once, they could do it again,' she whispered, suddenly terrified for her team mate.

Leaving the bowls on the table, Sakura ran in search of her sensei.

Kakashi glanced up at the knock, putting his book down and opening the door to see Sakura standing there, her face white.

'Kakashi-sensei – Naruto – he's not at his apartment – everything has been knocked over – I –'

'Sakura, calm down,' Kakashi said swiftly. 'Naruto isn't missing, he's here with me. He's asleep.'

Pulling the door open, Kakashi gestured towards the bed where Naruto lay, half under the blankets, a hand tucked under his cheek.

Sakura sagged against the door frame. 'For a minute I thought that…'

Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder. 'He's all right, Sakura.'

For a moment, the jounin studied his student, a slight frown creasing his brow.

While it was true that Naruto hadn't shown any outward signs of the trauma he'd suffered, the nightmares hadn't stopped. In the last three or four days, Naruto had sought out his sensei's company, mingled shame and relief on his face whenever Kakashi had opened the door. Kakashi was more worried than he cared to admit, even though he knew Naruto would not appreciate it.

Sakura glanced from Naruto to Kakashi, and then said softly 'he's still having nightmares, isn't he? I suspected it, he hasn't been himself…'

Kakashi sighed. 'He's been through something extremely traumatic, Sakura. It's difficult to say how long it will take before he begins to recover, because he won't tell anyone what happened.'

'Not even you?'

'Not even me. I know he mentioned some of the things he went through to Iruka, but I don't think he told him everything. When he starts to talk, he'll be ok.'

'So what you're saying is that we just have to wait?'

'I'm afraid so, Sakura,' Kakashi replied gently. 'He needs your support most at the moment.'

Sakura straightened. 'I won't let him down, Kakashi-sensei,' she whispered.

'I know you won't.'

Just then, Naruto stirred, blinking sleepily at Kakashi and Sakura.

'Sakura-chan?'

'Good morning, Naruto,' Sakura said, smiling at him.

Naruto yawned. 'Good morning.'

Kakashi crossed over to the bed. 'Are you hungry?'

'A little,' Naruto admitted, knowing full well that his sensei knew he hadn't been eating.

'I'll make breakfast – and no, it's not ramen.'

Naruto chuckled faintly, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. 'Ne, Kakashi-sensei…'

'Hmm?'

'I still want to be a shinobi.'

Sakura froze, not saying anything as Kakashi turned back to study Naruto. 'I know you do, Naruto. You aren't the type to give up on your dreams, or your way of the shinobi.'

Naruto hung his head. 'It's hard, sometimes. I feel stupid for being scared of the dark, and then I feel stupid for feeling stupid.'

Kakashi knelt down in front of Naruto. 'Listen to me. No one will ever understand what you've been through, or what you've experienced. It's natural to be afraid of something that was used against you. Fear is a very effective tool to torture someone with.'

Naruto's heart lifted. Kakashi-sensei understood, he always did. 'Ne, Kakashi-sensei… will you help me become stronger?'

Kakashi smiled, although it was hidden beneath his mask. 'Of course I will.'

'Come in, Shikamaru, and close the door.'

Tsunade steepled her fingers together, studying the chuunin carefully. 'How are you doing?'

Shikamaru blinked. 'It's been… interesting,' he answered carefully. 'I'm not really sure how to handle him now. We're all trying to treat him as normal, but I don't know if it's what he wants.'

'I think it is,' Tsunade replied. 'He's working through things, he'll be all right in time.'

Shikamaru shrugged. 'All we can do is to be his friends, right?'

'Right.' Tsunade was all business. 'Shikamaru – I have a mission for you, and I'm ranking it S-class.'

'S-class? We're not –'

'I know, but I cannot spare any ANBU members to take the job. The situation is what it is.'

'What do we have to do?'

'The former ANBU members, Mori Isamu and Murai Sachiko, are to be transported to a high security detention centre on the other side of Fire Country. You are to serve as their escorts – and you're to take every available genin with you.'

'Naruto?'

'If you think he can handle it – although I think he'll probably want to go with you.'

'This is going to be difficult,' Shikamaru muttered.

Tsunade's expression softened. 'You're right, it will be. I think it will be good for all of you to do it anyway. You need closure, Shikamaru.'

'Maybe. Well, I'll tell them – but they aren't going to be happy about it.'

'I'll take the blame for it, don't worry.'

But as Shikamaru left her office, he couldn't help but worry about the fallout after the mission was over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Across Fire Country

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Nara Shikamaru, the genin, Mori Isamu (OC) and Murai Sachiko (OC)

**Word Count: **3, 141 words

**Warnings: **Spoilers if you haven't read 'you are my sunshine'

**Summary: **Konoha's eleven transport their prisoners to the detention centre, Naruto is on breaking point

**A/N: **This is a long chapter. I know. It's deliberate. Trying to think of ending shorter chapters without breaking up the story is hurting my head. And no, I don't know for certain that Naruto is the youngest, I think he is. So yeah.

'She wants us to WHAT?'

Shikamaru folded his arms. 'You heard me. She wants us to take them to the detention centre on the other side of Fire Country – and she can't spare any ANBU to do it.'

'What about the jounin?' Kiba demanded. 'Surely she can spare us a jounin or two – why us of all people?'

Sakura remembered her fear at seeing Naruto's empty apartment, and grinned bleakly.

'Personally, I'm looking forward to it,' she told her friends. 'Think about it – there won't be anyone around if say, something should 'accidentally' happen…'

'Sakura-chan, you can't be seriously be thinking what I think you're thinking.'

'Naruto!' Sakura went red. 'You misunderstood, I mean I would never – '

Naruto laughed softly.

'Right. So tell me again what we've been ordered to do, Shikamaru.'

Shikamaru frowned. 'Escort the two former ANBU members to a high security detention centre on the other side of Fire Country. Tsunade-sama can't spare any ANBU to do it for her, or any jounin.'

Naruto shrugged. 'Ok.'

'Ok?' Chouji asked incredulously. 'Ok? Is that all you can say?'

'What do you want me to say?' Naruto asked. 'It's not like we can say no, and personally, I'll be happier knowing they aren't in Konoha anymore.'

Neji's silver eyes narrowed. 'I'll bet.'

'When are we leaving, Shikamaru?' Ino asked now.

'In the morning. Make sure you're fully prepared – I don't want any surprises this time.'

Hinata glanced at Naruto. He was leaning against a tree, arms behind his head, and in her eyes, was still far too thin. The dark shadows underneath his eyes were slowly fading, but she sensed deep melancholy behind his smile. It was this that prompted her to do the unthinkable.

'N – Naruto-kun – would you like to get some ramen with me?'

Naruto lifted his head, a surprised expression on his face, and he wasn't the only one – every single person was regarding the Hyuuga heiress with expressions varying from shock to sheer bewilderment.

'That would be nice, Hinata – my treat?'

Hinata managed a smile, forcing herself not to blush. 'Ok.'

The two of them walked off, and Shino and Kiba exchanged glances.

'I did not just see that,' Kiba muttered. 'I'm losing my mind – yeah, that's all it is… just a temporary loss of sanity… nothing more…'

'Kiba – shut up,' Ino grumbled. 'She's worried about him.'

Kiba's expression turned serious. 'Aren't we all?'

Naruto paced his apartment restlessly, unable to sleep – not for fear of the nightmares, but because he was nervous. Terrified, in fact.

Crossing over to the window, he pushed it open and stared into the starry skies, sighing.

If he couldn't do this, his friends would never rely on him again.

He wasn't sure where he got the idea from, and he wasn't even sure if it was true or not, but he didn't want to take the chance.

'I can do this,' he told himself firmly. 'I'm still a shinobi, nothing's changed, nothing. Once they're out of Konoha, everything will go back to normal, and I can forget this ever happened…'

But deep down, Naruto was wondering why he hadn't told his friends what had happened to him if nothing had changed.

Tsunade herself led Mori Isamu and Murai Sachiko to the gates where ten genin and one chuunin were waiting.

Naruto was seeing them for the first time since the frying pan incident, and he couldn't help but stiffen before forcing himself to relax. A closer inspection revealed something he was not expecting – they didn't look as powerful now. In fact, they seemed… smaller, somehow, diminished, as if the life had been sucked out of them. Their hands were bound, silver manacles gleaming in the sunlight, and both of them were gagged.

Their eyes, however, spoke volumes, radiating with hatred and loathing.

Shikamaru's eyes fell on the chains, and an image flashed into his mind – Naruto, bound with heavy chains, trying to make himself less of a target for the attack he was so sure was coming…

Expression hardening, Shikamaru jerked Isamu forward, tightening the chains around his wrists brutally, pointedly ignoring Isamu's wince. He did the same to Sachiko, and then glanced at Tsunade.

'Well, that's about it, I guess. We should only be a week or so.'

'Be careful, all of you,' Tsunade said softly, resting her hand on Naruto's shoulder for a moment.

As the group left, Shizune looked up. 'Do you think you did the right thing?'

Tsunade sighed heavily. 'I don't know, Shizune. Perhaps. Only time will tell.'

'Naruto-kun might not –'

'Shizune, I have faith in him, and faith in his friends,' Tsunade interrupted firmly. 'Whatever happens, they won't abandon him.'

'I hope you're right,' Shizune muttered.

If he was tense, he gave nothing away.

Naruto was aware of the anxiety in the glances his friends kept giving him, and he counted himself fortunate that they cared enough to worry about him – even though it was the last thing he wanted them to do.

'You never did tell me why Gejimayu's arm was in a cast,' Naruto said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Neji began to laugh, and Lee hung his head in shame.

'You should have seen it, Naruto, it was almost worth it to see Lee win. I don't think Gai-sensei will _ever _try that again, even if his life depended on it.'

Tenten rolled her eyes. 'He'd better not, I'm not cleaning up after Lee again.'

Naruto stared at Lee, and then at Tenten and Neji. 'But what happened?'

'It was supposed to be a contest aimed at strengthening their inner muscles,' Tenten explained. 'They each drank about three litres of water in a single sitting – but the waiter brought us the wrong tray, and Lee drank an entire jug of sake…'

She shuddered. 'I never want to see that again. Once we got Lee sobered up, Neji and I had to unearth Gai from the wreckage of the restaurant… it just wasn't pretty.'

Neji grinned. 'Then he had to go and see Tsunade-sama and explain the situation to her. He swears her screams echoed around the Hokage Mansion, but we never heard a thing.'

Naruto laughed. 'I would have paid to see that.'

'I doubt it,' Lee muttered. 'If word gets out…'

'Lee, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but word is already out,' Chouji pointed out politely.

Lee glared at him. 'Thanks, I don't think.'

Chouji sniggered. 'You're welcome.'

Shikamaru glanced up at the sky. 'We should stop for the night. It's getting dark, and we need to gather firewood so we can eat.'

Naruto swallowed. 'I'll get the firewood, Shikamaru.'

Instantly, Neji volunteered to go with him, and as Chouji and Shino secured Isamu and Sachiko to a tree, the two of them wandered off into the gathering dusk.

Neither of them spoke much as they selected branches, but the silence between them was comfortable enough that they didn't need to.

It was only as they made camp that Naruto became apprehensive.

It wasn't just the darkness, but that he wasn't sure what to do about his nightmares – and he didn't know how much Kakashi-sensei had told Sakura.

Naruto couldn't stop his instinctive glance over his shoulder at his former captives.

They were watching him, identical expressions of hate in their eyes.

He took a deep breath, busying himself with taking off his pack and leaning it against a tree, but he was aware of them the entire time, and it deeply unnerved him to note that neither of them took their eyes off him.

A sharp voice made him look up.

'Do the two of you want to be blindfolded as well, because I can easily arrange it…'

Naruto blinked.

Ino and Sakura were restraining a furious Kiba, who was in the process of lunging towards Isamu and Sachiko.

'What on –'

Shino's quiet voice answered his half spoken question.

'Don't think we haven't noticed how they look at you, Naruto. Personally, I expected Kiba to speak out sooner – he's learning the art of restraint.'

Naruto glanced around at his friends, most of whom wore the same expressions of anger.

Shikamaru stepped forward. 'Kiba, calm down,' he said sharply. 'There's no point getting worked up over them, it doesn't help.'

Kiba stepped backwards, but even he couldn't stop Akamaru's low growls, and he didn't try.

Shikamaru knelt down, a kunai in his hand. 'Listen very carefully,' he told the two of them, a dangerous note in his usually placid voice. 'If you so much as look at him again, I'll gouge your eyes out and make you eat them. Is that clear?'

Naruto blanched, unconsciously backing up until he realized that his back was to the tree. Words, half forgotten, came flooding back, and he had to bite down the cry that rose in his throat.

… _pathetic worm, living in the dark… what lies in your eyes, animal… cut them out of your head so you need never see again…_

_The glint of a kunai in the darkness…_

'Naruto.'

Naruto jumped, his face losing what little colour it had left, but in the growing darkness, it couldn't be seen.

Neji put a hand on his shoulder. 'You need to eat,' he said softly, and Naruto had the feeling that his silver eyes saw more than he wanted them to. It was confirmed when Neji asked 'are you ok?'

'The darkness makes me uncomfortable,' Naruto answered truthfully, seconds before he wondered why he'd said anything at all.

'I don't blame you,' Neji told him, keeping his voice low.

Naruto looked down at the ground, scuffing his foot in the dirt. 'I – I've been having nightmares… being trapped, being alone…'

For a moment Neji was silent, but he didn't turn away as Naruto had expected him to.

'I think nightmares are only natural,' Neji said at last. 'We all dream about things that scare us, but you've lived through it. I don't think it's something that will just go away.'

'I –'

'Come on, before dinner gets cold – sorry, colder. Even you wouldn't eat cold ramen,' Neji teased, overriding the beginnings of an apology. Steering Naruto over to the fire, he pushed him onto the ground between Chouji and Lee, the latter handing him a dish of rice.

Naruto smiled faintly. 'Itadakimasu!'

The low, agitated murmurs woke Ino up.

Blinking sleepily, she pushed aside her blanket and sat up, staring at the sight before her.

In the dying firelight, she could see Shikamaru kneeling beside Naruto, clearly debating waking him up – and Ino could see why.

His blanket was twisted around him, and she could just make out the beads of sweat lining his forehead. His brow was creased, and as he tossed and turned, Ino wasn't sure if he was fighting off the blanket, or whatever unseen enemies he was dreaming of.

'No… not again… no…'

Ino felt tears welling up in her eyes, and fought down the urge to cry. No one else had noticed, at least not yet, and Ino didn't want to wake them.

Naruto's voice was slowly rising, and clearly coming to a decision, Shikamaru reached out to shake him awake when in his agitation, Naruto knocked his hand away.

Ino didn't see Hinata move until she saw her push Shikamaru aside. Ino's eyes widened as Hinata knelt down next to Naruto, gathering him into her arms and holding him close. Her soft voice whispered gentle reassurances, and Ino's tears streaked her cheeks as Naruto calmed somewhat.

How long, she wondered, had Naruto been alone? How long had he suffered after waking and realizing that there was no one to comfort him?

'Ino, stop crying,' Shikamaru ordered softly. 'We can't undo the past.'

'I – I've never seen him like this,' Ino whispered, trying to control her sobs. 'He's always been so cheerful, so ready for action, but now he – he –'

'Just seems like a scared kid,' Shikamaru finished grimly. 'I know. And you'd never have known it, but he's the youngest of all of us…'

Startled, Ino glanced up at him. 'How do you know?'

'I checked his date of birth in the records,' Shikamaru answered. 'He's a year younger than I am, and only a couple of months younger than Hinata. All this time, everything he's been through – and he really is just a kid –'

'In age only,' a new voice said quietly. 'You can't really say he's a kid after all he's been through.'

Shikamaru sighed. 'No, I guess not.'

Neji got to his feet. 'I'll take the next watch. Shikamaru – you and Ino get some sleep.'

Shikamaru frowned. 'I won't be able to sleep now. I'll stay up with you.'

Ino was about to speak when Shikamaru said 'sleep, Ino. We'll watch him.'

'All right,' Ino whispered, and lay back down, her eyes on Naruto.

Sleep was a long time coming.

His hands were shaking.

It was all he could do just to remain where he was, not to run, not to reach for a kunai and embed it in his own throat…

Naruto took a deep, shaky breath.

He was so, so tempted to wake one of his friends up, tempted to ask them to keep him company, but at the same time, unwilling to let them see how weak he was, how pathetic, how…

They never took their eyes off him, never. He could see everything reflected in those eyes – hatred, anger, loathing, the desire to kill him, to hurt him, to maim him, to hear his screams echoing once more.

For the last three days, Naruto had done his best to ignore them, to ignore the killing intention that rolled off them in waves, but it hadn't been easy.

The nightmares persisted.

He knew his friends knew but they hadn't confronted him about his nightmares at all. In fact, it hadn't even been brought up, Ino had hugged him before anyone had noticed, but she hadn't said anything. To top it off, Naruto was worried because his friends were worried about him, but he didn't know what to tell them, or how to.

He could just imagine a conversation – _well, you see, they tortured me day after day, telling me what a useless pathetic monster I was because I just happen to have a demon sealed into my navel…_

Right. Like that was ever going to happen.

Naruto slumped against the tree, unable to stop himself from remembering the darkness, the pain, the blood, the name calling… and his sudden, unexpected fear of the dark.

The fire was comforting, at least. In its glow he could see the shapes of his friends, and the trees that surrounded them. At least he knew that he wasn't completely alone, even if his mind – and their eyes – told him the exact opposite.

Naruto slowly slid down the trunk of the tree until he was sitting on the ground. He brought his knees up, resting his head on his folded arms, unable to look away from his torturers. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't.

He was falling….

'_Animal! Monster! Do you know what they should have done? They should have drowned you at birth – your own parents probably couldn't stand to look at you, so they abandoned you – and we're doing you a favour, really. Your friends… the people who you care about… you know what you are, you know what danger you're putting them all into just by existing. We're being kind, taking you away from your villagers. Stupid, stupid, clumsy child… too weak to be a shinobi, too pathetic to be loved, to monstrous for anyone to care about you…'_

'_I – I'm not… I'm not like that…'_

'_Silence! How dare you talk back to me, you filthy little thing –'_

'_Nooo!!!'_

Naruto's head jerked up, tears streaking his cheeks, his chest heaving with sobs. His eyes darted to his fellow shinobi, but it seemed that none of them had heard his cry. None that is, save for Isamu and Sachiko…

He got to his feet, and stumbled off into the darkness, needing to be alone.

Tenten stirred into full wakefulness long before anyone else did, it had become a habit since she had become a genin.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, and glanced around the clearing Chouji and Kiba had chosen the night before. Everything seemed the same – their prisoners were still tied to the tree, her friends were still asleep, Naruto was –

Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

Tenten shook Neji awake, her alarm palpable in the early morning silence.

Neji blinked up at her, already more awake. 'What's wrong?'

'Naruto is gone!' Tenten whispered. 'I've only just woken up, and he's not here –'

Swearing, Neji rolled to his feet, activating his byakugan and scanning their surroundings.

There, in the distance, he could see a figure kneeling down beside the river, unmoving, and he glanced at Tenten.

'Stay here, and don't wake anyone else up. I'll be back soon…'

Tenten gulped, and nodded, watching as Neji ran off.

Naruto stared unseeingly into the river's depths, wondering absently if the nine tails would actually let him die. He doubted it, the kyuubi had a will of its own.

'Naruto?'

Starting, Naruto nearly fell into the stream, almost putting his musings into action when a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Turning his head, surprised at how stiff he was, Naruto blinked stupidly up at Neji. The silver eyed genin looked troubled, and Naruto frowned.

'Is … is something wrong?'

His tongue didn't seem to want to work properly, the words sounded clumsy.

'I should be asking you that,' Neji said, fear making his voice harsher than he expected.

Naruto flinched unconsciously. 'I – I'm sorry… I should have woken someone up, I'm sorry – I just wanted to w-wash my face…'

Neji knelt down beside him, feeling remorseful. 'I'm not angry, Naruto. Tenten woke up and saw you were gone, we should have realized where you were.'

Naruto swallowed. 'I should still have told you.'

Neji pulled him to his feet. 'You don't answer to us, Naruto. Come on, let's get some breakfast. You never eat, do you realize that?'

'I haven't been hungry…'

Neji chuckled. 'We know, we can see it. You'd better start eating, if nothing else, to give Hinata some peace of mind. She thinks there's something wrong with her food –'

Naruto winced. 'It's hard to eat myself,' he grumbled, sounding more like his old self.

Neji's laughter echoed in the silence. 'Yeah, I know what you mean, it's hard for us to eat you – but at least it's delicious.'

Naruto looked more lively. 'True. She'll make someone a good wife one day.'

'Maybe it will be you,' Neji teased, and Naruto went red.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The handover

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Konoha's eleven, Mori Isamu, Murai Sachiko

**Word Count: **1, 137 words

**Warnings: **Not much, some violence but nothing serious

**Summary: **Shikamaru hands the former ANBU members over to the guards, Isamu breaks free and attacks Naruto

**A/N: **Was the last part confusing? I certainly aimed for it – but don't worry, all will become clear – and kudos to those who figured out just what happened! (I did leave a clue if you read carefully)

I can't do this, Naruto told himself in a panic. I can't take anymore, I can't be near them anymore, I can't stand to be around _myself,_ let alone anyone else…

'Naruto, could you help me with this?' Sakura asked, breaking into his thoughts. Automatically, Naruto moved towards her, helping her with the bags she was carrying. As he took them, he shot a glance towards their prisoners, both of whom were being forcefully dragged through the trees by a grim Chouji.

Oddly enough, he didn't even seem to be struggling, despite the fact that they were fighting him frenziedly.

'Idiots,' Sakura muttered pithily.

Naruto found a smile curving his lips, a movement that was almost unnatural. Lowering his head, the smile faded away to be replaced by sadness. It was so hard to believe how much he had changed in the last three months, and he wondered if things would ever return to normal.

_As soon as you actually talk to them, things might, _a small voice inside his head muttered.

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder. 'We're nearly there, Naruto.'

Naruto forced himself to smile. 'I know, Sakura-chan. I – I just want this over and done with. I'm tired of it – of everything…'

Sakura remembered Kakashi's words before they had left. 'Naruto… if you need to talk, we're here for you,' she offered softly.

Naruto glanced at his team mate. 'Thank you, Sakura-chan,' he said simply, but didn't take her up on her offer.

Sakura wasn't really expecting him to, and pushed him away from Isamu and Sachiko, and closer to Neji and Kiba.

The latter glanced at her worriedly, and Sakura shook her head faintly. Its meaning was clear – don't ask.

Kiba grinned at Naruto. 'Making trouble again, huh?'

Naruto glared at him. 'You idiot, don't always assume stuff like –'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, get over it,' Kiba interrupted, laughing.

Naruto glared at him a moment longer before huffing indignantly and folding his arms behind his head.

Shikamaru sighed in relief. 'I see the detention centre, thank heavens. This has been so troublesome…'

Naruto glanced ahead, seeing the tall building in the distance, the flags waving in the breeze.

If Shikamaru was relieved to see the detention centre, Naruto was overjoyed. A part of him hoped that it marked the end of a difficult period of his life, but for the most part, Naruto was simply glad to be away from his tormentors. Even now, he wasn't sure that he could stand to be in their company any longer, and was on the verge of telling Shikamaru he wanted to wait – but Naruto had never been the type to abandon a mission, and he wasn't about to start now, no matter how hard it was to keep his feet moving in a straight line.

It's almost over, he told himself firmly. Just a little longer and I'll be free forever…

By midafternoon, the eleven of them had reached the detention centre and the guards who were standing outside, waiting for them.

The first guard, a short stocky man with a balding head, greeted Shikamaru casually, his relaxed demeanor belying the strength that lay beneath the surface.

'Been expecting you,' he told them. 'Well, let's get these two off your hands, and you can be on your way.'

Shikamaru straightened as the guard unlocked the manacles, his hand lingering near his kunai. This was the most dangerous part of their mission, but he didn't think they were stupid enough to try anything.

He glanced at Naruto, and in the process, missed the glances between Sachiko and Isamu.

It happened so fast, none of them could react.

As the manacles fell free of Isamu's wrists, he lunged forward, expression contorted with rage. Naruto hadn't been expecting the attack, and Isamu managed to overpower him, jerking a kunai free of Naruto's kunai holster and lifting his arm above his head before bringing the kunai down.

Ino screamed, but Naruto twisted instinctively, and Isamu buried the kunai to the hilt in his shoulder, dragging it through the muscle.

The guards were already moving, grabbing him and wrenching him away, but not before Isamu formed a seal and touched three fingers to Naruto's temple.

The genin stiffened, his eyes wide with shock and horror as Hinata flew to his side, pulling off her jacket with the intention of stopping the flow of blood.

She touched him, the world went dark.

Naruto's vision cleared.

The first guard, a short stocky man with a balding head, greeted Shikamaru casually, his relaxed demeanor belying the strength that lay beneath the surface.

'Been expecting you,' he told them. 'Well, let's get these two off your hands, and you can be on your way.'

Shikamaru straightened as the guard unlocked the manacles, his hand lingering near his kunai. This was the most dangerous part of their mission, but he didn't think they were stupid enough to try anything.

He glanced at Naruto, and in the process, missed the glances between Sachiko and Isamu.

It happened so fast, none of them could react.

As the manacles fell free of Isamu's wrists, he lunged forward, expression contorted with rage. Naruto hadn't been expecting the attack, and Isamu managed to overpower him, jerking a kunai free of Naruto's kunai holster and lifting his arm above his head before bringing the kunai down.

Ino screamed, but Naruto twisted instinctively, and Isamu buried the kunai to the hilt in his shoulder, dragging it through the muscle.

The guards were already moving, wrenching him away, but as they did, Isamu pulled off the gag.

'Monster!' he roared. 'Filthy little demon, you should have died, you should have been killed at birth! If you had died then the monster inside you would have died along with you and we'd all be free of your evil!'

Naruto went white.

No. no, it wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening, he couldn't have spilt the secret Naruto had carried with him for so many months, he couldn't have…

He forced himself to look at his friends, seeing the confusion on their faces. Isamu sneered at them.

'You don't understand, do you? This child, your so called friend, is a monster. Sealed inside him is the nine tails that attacked the village twelve years ago, destroying everyone's lives. He's a monster, a real live, demon fox…'

Naruto's heart was breaking as he watched their expressions change from bewilderment to shock, to horror, and finally, disgust as Isamu's words sank in. Naruto dragged himself to his feet, opening his mouth to speak, but tears welled up instead as one by one, his friends turned their backs on him.

Breath harsh in his throat, Naruto stared at them for a moment longer before turning and fleeing.

It was over. It was all over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Into Sound territory

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Konoha's eleven, Hatake Kakashi, Pakkun

**Word Count: **1, 078 words

**Warnings: **Not much…

**Summary: **Naruto flees into Sound territory (hence the title), Kakashi is summoned to his aid

**A/N: **I hope this isn't reading funny or anything, you wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to actually come up with a plausible story line. It's almost as hard as writing my bloody books…

Hinata pressed her hand against his shoulder, trying to get him to lie still, but at her touch, Naruto's face went curiously blank. Shikamaru froze as Naruto went white, then grey, his eyes widening. In the blue depths, he could see the stirrings of horror and panic as Naruto stared at them, clearly seeing something they could not before he dragged himself to his feet.

Even as Sakura turned to tell him not to move, Naruto turned and fled before anyone could speak.

Kiba immediately gave chase, but Naruto, despite the injury he had received, was faster. He was out of sight before Kiba had even reached the tree line.

Unwillingly, the genin gave up the chase, knowing that even if he could still smell him, there was no way he was as fast. Naruto would be gone before they could reach him.

'What the hell is going on here?' Neji demanded, silver eyes filled with shock. 'Is it me or did I just miss something?'

Shikamaru's mind raced. Isamu had attacked him, had injured him before the guards had pulled him away, and clearly something had happened in that time to make Naruto run…

'Damn him!' Shikamaru snarled as understanding dawned. 'Damn him and his damned jutsus –'

Neji frowned – and then his eyes widened. 'Genjutsu?'

Shikamaru nodded. 'Yeah. In all likelihood, Naruto might be under the impression that we're his enemies – and given the events of the last three months, it's not exactly an implausible scenario. Even if we did go after him, there's no way he'd trust us, if that's the case. He wouldn't let us anywhere near him…'

'We have to do something,' Hinata told him. 'We can't just let him go, he's injured, alone…'

Shikamaru looked resolute. 'There's one thing we can do. I have to send a message to Kakashi-sensei.'

Kakashi glanced up from his book, frowning a little as an unfamiliar grey and brown bird soared down and perched on the back of the bench he was sitting on, extending its leg so that Kakashi could reach the parchment tied to it.

His frown deepened.

For the last three days, he had had the impression that something somewhere had gone horribly awry, and that somehow, his student was at the centre of it. The messenger bird confirmed it, Tsunade-sama would have sent Shizune after him, and the bird itself was unfamiliar.

Kakashi untied the parchment and unfolded it, reading it swiftly.

Within seconds, he was up and running, the parchment forgotten, the two sentences stark black in the sunlight.

_Naruto is in trouble, under some sort of genjutsu._

_We need your help at the detention centre as soon as possible._

A journey that had taken a week took Kakashi a day and a half.

He reached the detention centre to see Shikamaru and Sakura waiting outside, clearly knowing that he wouldn't have wasted any time.

'What happened?' Kakashi demanded.

Between the two of them, they explained about the nightmares, about Naruto's tension, about their prisoners and the way they had always watched Naruto, the attack during the handover, the genjutsu, and Naruto's subsequent escape.

'He might consider us enemies, but because you weren't here, he might trust you more than he would trust us at the moment,' Shikamaru concluded.

Kakashi swore under his breath. 'It never stops, does it? All right, get everyone out here. We'll have to go after him before he gets too far ahead and we lose him.'

Kakashi bit down on his thumb and formed seals, summoning his ninken. Pakkun tilted his head inquiringly.

'What do you want this time, Kakashi?'

'Scatter, and track Naruto down. When you find him, call me immediately. Go!'

Even Neji's silver eyes couldn't trace how swiftly the ninken moved, but Kakashi remained where he was, hands on his hips as he waited. The minutes passed slowly, but at last Kakashi straightened. 'There's the signal, lets go.'

With the silver haired jounin in the lead, the group took to the trees.

He was crying as he ran, not knowing where he was or where he was going. His shoulder ached badly, but he was oblivious to the pain, only conscious of his desperate need to escape.

They knew. It was all over. He could never go back to Konoha not now, not ever. His dreams… everything he wanted, everything he had worked so hard to achieve was all for nothing. He was just an animal after all, a pathetic loser who didn't have the right to love, the right to care, the right to sympathy…

He didn't deserve them, and they didn't deserve the pain and horror that his presence brought them.

It was clear now. The looks on their faces…

Chest heaving with the force of his sobs, Naruto drew on the kyuubi's chakra and fled on.

Kakashi realized where he was seconds before he crossed the border, and just before he called a halt, Pakkun called to him.

'His scent ends here, Kakashi.'

Kakashi turned. 'Stop!' he ordered sharply. 'Don't take a single step further.'

Shikamaru, who was closest, sent the jounin a questioning look. 'What –'

As Pakkun disappeared in a cloud of smoke, Kakashi's expression was grim.

'Things have taken an unexpected turn for the worst. As Pakkun said, Naruto's scent ends here – but that's the least of our problems – the real issue is that we're standing on the border of Sound territory.'

Sakura blanched. 'Sound… Orochimaru… Sasuke…'

'Precisely,' Kakashi said bleakly. 'We have no official clearance to be here, and not a single person here is able to take on either Orochimaru or Sasuke – and win. We're going to have to exercise the utmost caution from here, because if we're caught, we won't find Naruto.'

Shikamaru swallowed. 'Not that I would mind giving Sasuke a good punch to the face, but we aren't prepared for something like this, Kakashi-sensei.'

'I know that, which is why I'm giving you a choice – stay here, or come with me. I will bring Naruto back, but –'

Sakura didn't hesitate. 'There isn't any choice, not for me. I'm not going to lose another team mate, or a friend. I'm going.'

Kakashi glanced at their faces, seeing the same determination, the same will to find Naruto, and he smiled beneath the mask.

'All right, I can see it's not really a choice. So, listen to me carefully, because this is how it's going to work from here on…'


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Student against teacher

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Konoha's eleven, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke

**Word Count: **1, 675 words

**Warnings: **Nothing

**Summary: **Naruto and Kakashi face off, an unexpected figure makes a surprise appearance

**A/N: **I had my doubts about using Sound territory, but I think I managed to work around it without including Orochimaru. I have good reasons for doing that, don't worry (o)

Tired, unable to keep running, Naruto curled up against a tree, leaning his head against the rough bark. He ached inside, a pain that was strong enough to be almost physical.

He didn't know where he was.

The area was completely unfamiliar, and something told him that he was no longer in Fire Country, but he no longer cared.

Slowly, Naruto's eyes slid shut, and he fell into a troubled, restless doze punctuated with nightmares. It might have been hours, it might have been days before his eyes flew open. Someone was coming.

Naruto leapt to his feet, reaching for a kunai and backing up until he could feel the tree behind him. Wide blue eyes darted around, trying to get a sense of the location of whoever it was that was around him.

Seconds later, a tall, slender figure walked out of the trees, distinctive silver hair shining in the sunlight. Kakashi's hands were at his sides, clearly empty, but Naruto didn't know if he could trust him. It could have been a trap… they would want to take him back to Konoha, to finish him off properly…

'Naruto, please put the kunai down,' Kakashi said quietly. 'I'm not here to hurt you.'

Naruto shook his head. 'No… you're just like everyone else… you hate what I am… you also just see the monster… no one ever sees me, just – just a demon… a troublemaker…'

Naruto saw several figures emerge from the tree line behind Kakashi, and he paled.

'See, I knew it – you want to take me back… you want to –'

'Naruto, please listen to Kakashi-sensei,' Sakura pleaded. 'Of course we want to take you back – Konoha is your home –'

'Don't lie to me! Naruto shouted. 'Do you think I don't know how you all see me? Worthless, pathetic, someone who can't even hold his own on a mission – a burden –'

Kakashi suddenly understood what was going on, and behind the mask, his mouth tightened. It had nothing to do with his friends, and everything to do with the nine tails – the reason he had been taken in the first place. Kakashi was about to move towards him, when Hinata darted out from behind Chouji.

'Hinata, no!' Kakashi snapped, but it was too late.

Hinata ran forward. 'Naruto-kun – please don't do this – please, we just want to help you, we –'

Naruto didn't think, he acted, pushing her away from him hard enough to make her fall.

'Get away from me!' he hissed. 'Don't come near me –'

Kakashi saw trouble. Moving swiftly, he put himself between Naruto and Hinata, pulling her to her feet and pushing her backwards.

'Get back to the others, Hinata,' Kakashi ordered calmly. 'The rest of you, stay back and don't come any closer!'

Naruto stared up at his sensei, unaware of the play of emotions on his face.

Kakashi turned around slowly.

'Naruto, listen to me,' he said quietly, but firmly. 'No one here wants to hurt you, I know you realize that inside, even if you can't trust yourself. I know what they did to you, I know, but you have to start trusting again, or we can never help you.'

Naruto shook his head vehemently. 'No… it's not that and you know it – its not me, it's you – even before you never treated me like the others – everything I did – the hate – all I ever wanted was to be loved, cared for – but it's just a stupid dream like all my other stupid dreams – I'll never be anything more than a burden to the village – no matter how much I care about other people they'll never see me as a person…'

Kakashi took a step forward – Naruto truly believed that his life was in danger – and he attacked his teacher without hesitation.

Neji had an arm around Hinata's shoulders, not only trying to comfort her, but also to keep her from trying to interfere in the fight. Ino clearly had the same idea, because she was visibly restraining Sakura, who looked horrified.

Neji didn't blame her – none of them really understood what was going on. Naruto was distraught, that much was obvious, and in Neji's mind, the fact that he had attacked his teacher meant that Shikamaru's theory had been spot on.

Naruto really did consider them to be his enemies.

Silently, his silver eyes narrowed, Neji watched – and waited.

Kakashi ducked, lifting his arm to block the kunai, ignoring the sting as it bit into his arm. Swearing, he rolled to one side, avoiding a low thrust, trying not to hurt Naruto anymore than he'd already been injured.

The situation was tricky – not only could he not injure his student, but any sign of resistance, any sign of opposition, and there was no telling what Naruto would do. And already Naruto was under the impression that Kakashi wanted to kill him…

Kakashi considered and discarded several different possibilities, before settling on the one that seemed most likely – suppression.

Pin him, keep him down, remove the genjutsu, and go from there…

Kakashi rose gracefully, visible eye narrowing as Naruto leapt forward, kunai raised. As his student flew towards him, Kakashi simply stepped to one side, grabbed his arm, and swept his legs out from underneath him.

Naruto landed hard on his injured arm, the kunai falling from his suddenly nerveless fingers. Chest heaving, Naruto stared up at Kakashi, his eyes horrified. Even as he made to pull himself upright, Kakashi was kneeling over him, one foot across his wrist, knee planted firmly in his chest. Naruto's breath caught in his throat as Kakashi clasped his hands together, molding chakra.

The silver haired jounin formed the release seal, murmured the word 'kai' beneath his breath, and laid his hand against Naruto's head.

Naruto stiffened, his eyes sliding out of focus, the fight draining from his body.

'Kakashi-sensei –'

Kakashi got off him, slipping an arm behind his back to lift him up. 'Try not to move too much, Naruto. You're hurt, I want Sakura to heal you before we go any further.'

Naruto's head drooped. 'I don't think she'll want to,' he mumbled. 'I – I did some things –'

'You mean like fighting me?' Kakashi asked, a faint trace of laugher in his voice. 'Yeah, I know.'

Naruto risked a glance up at his sensei, blinking in confusion. 'Kakashi-sensei – you – I mean, I –'

'It's not your fault, Naruto,' Kakashi reassured him gently. 'We know exactly what happened.'

Naruto remembered, and blanched. 'No – they know about – about the nine tails, they know he's sealed inside me!'

'No, they don't,' Kakashi told him firmly. 'You were trapped in a genjutsu, Naruto. Whatever you think happened, never did.'

'But I thought he stabbed me –'

'He did. Shikamaru believes that he managed to place you under a genjutsu before the guards pulled him off you, and he sent for me immediately. I'm just glad we caught up with you before you went any further.'

'You are?'

Kakashi chuckled faintly. 'You have no idea where we are, do you?'

Naruto shook his head. 'No…'

'Sound territory,' Kakashi replied. 'We're closer to Otogakure than even I'm comfortable with.'

'You should have left me,' Naruto whispered. 'I really am pathetic, Kakashi-sensei, I haven't been able to do anything since we left Konoha…'

Kakashi opened his mouth to reply, but a voice interrupted him.

'Naruto-kun!'

Hinata had watched the fight between them, her heart in her throat. It didn't seem fair, it didn't seem right that Naruto was suffering so much when he hadn't done anything to deserve it.

Her silver eyes had seen Kakashi release the jutsu, and help Naruto up, and she hadn't hesitated at all, breaking free of her cousin's grip and flying forward, oblivious to Neji and his attempt to call her back.

She knew it was safe, even if no one else did.

Hinata knelt down beside Naruto, her eyes searching his face anxiously. 'Naruto-kun, you're hurt – but don't worry, Sakura will be able to heal you so we can get back home –'

For a moment, blue eyes and silver eyes locked, and Naruto was the first to look away.

'I'm sorry, Hinata. I think I hurt you –'

Hinata went pink. 'No… I just fell, but honestly, you didn't hurt me –'

'I pushed you away.' Naruto's voice was toneless.

'You thought we were your enemies,' Hinata pointed out. 'We all know that, Shikamaru-kun told us.'

Naruto hadn't been expecting that, and it showed. Kakashi squeezed his shoulder lightly, and felt some of the tension drain away.

'Yeah… I guess I must have.'

'You total moron, why are you the only one of us who can't recognize a genjutsu if it bit you in the behind?' Kiba demanded.

Kakashi's lips twitched at the sudden irritation he saw on Naruto's face before he could quell it.

'Kiba, you blockhead, why the hell are you such an irritating creep?' Naruto demanded, on the verge of getting to his feet when Lee pushed him back down.

Kiba grinned at him. 'Welcome back, moron.'

Naruto glared at him, and then winced as Sakura peeled away his jacket so she could get to the wound.

Kakashi got to his feet, glancing around. He hadn't been lying – they were far too close to the Sound village for his comfort. They couldn't afford to waste time, but neither did he want to leave Naruto unattended to until they reached Konoha. Some things were simply more important than his own wellbeing.

'Right,' he said abruptly. 'We need to get moving. Naruto, do you think you're up to it?'

Naruto was pulled to his feet by Lee and Shikamaru.

'If he's not, we'll take him,' Lee assured Kakashi.

'I'm fine,' Naruto replied. 'Let's get out of here.'

The twelve of them took to the trees, none of them noticing a slight figure standing in the shadows. He blinked, and dark eyes were suddenly stained crimson. For a moment he watched the figures retreat before he walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Healing

**Rating:** G

**Pairing / Characters: **Konoha's eleven, Hatake Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune

**Word Count: **953 words

**Warnings: **Nothing in particular

**Summary: **Naruto confides in his friends, Tsunade is on the receiving end of a truly shocking revelation, Kakashi watches over his student

**A/N: **Ok, this one is done. (o) On another note, the ending is deliberate. I leave nothing to fate, believe me!

Oh, and from here on out, most of my Naruto ficlets will be post time skip… so I guess 'you are my sunshine' 'the sequel' and 'night raid on Konoha' (which should have followed this one if I actually had done it in order) would be in the place of the Kakashi Gaiden arc or the filler arcs… (and I have a KILLER coming up soon, so stay posted!)

Naruto took a deep breath of the fresh air, glad to be home despite the fact that he was, once again, on the way to the hospital.

'I should just move here, it would be easier,' he grumbled.

Neji laughed. 'Well, you do seem to be spending a lot of time here,' he pointed out.

'Very funny,' Naruto muttered.

Tsunade was waiting for him, and Naruto grimaced inwardly as she dragged him into a room and sat him down. 'Are you all right, brat?' she asked quietly.

Naruto, who had been expecting a scolding, stared at her. 'Yeah… I think so – Sakura-chan healed my arm –'

Tsunade sighed. 'That's not what I meant, Naruto.'

'I know. I… I've been thinking that I should tell them what happened. Not about the nine tails, but the other stuff. I wanted to before, but I never did. I trust them Tsunade no baachan, but I kept thinking that they would think I was pathetic… that's why I never said anything.'

Naruto hung his head. 'Kakashi-sensei told me that I should talk to them. I should have listened, I guess.'

Kakashi's laughter echoed around the room. 'Naruto, you never listen to anyone,' he said, visible eye twinkling. 'Why should this time be any different?'

Naruto glared at Kakashi. 'I do listen!'

Tsunade's eyes sparkled. 'Really? When?'

Now Naruto glared at her, but Tsunade was already examining him carefully, and she placed her hand on his head, gathering chakra into her palm.

Kakashi fought down his laughter as she scolded Naruto playfully, all the while healing the damage that had been done to his mind so many months ago.

Really, Tsunade was almost as sneaky as he was…

'Well, that should do it,' Tsunade said at last. 'Naruto, do you think you can leave the hospital and find your way to your friends without getting yourself into trouble?'

Naruto just looked at her, and beaming, Tsunade pushed him to the door. 'Out, brat.'

Naruto pulled the door open with almost unnecessary force, and slammed it shut behind him. In the silence, Tsunade and Kakashi could hear him grumbling under his breath as he stomped away.

'He's all right, Kakashi,' Tsunade said softly. 'I believe this time, he'll be perfectly fine.'

Kakashi crossed over to the window, watching as Naruto approached his friends hesitantly. 'He will be, once he learns to trust us again.'

'You don't think he does?'

Kakashi shook his head. 'No. deep down, he knows we aren't his enemies, but three months is a long time to damage someone's mind. We may never undo whatever it was they did to him.'

Tsunade stepped up beside him, and put her hand on his shoulder. 'Perhaps,' she ceded, 'but Naruto is far, far stronger than that. After all, something like this would have killed lesser men.'

'True.'

Hokage and subordinate fell silent, watching Naruto's expansive gestures as he spoke to his friends.

Naruto didn't know how to approach them at first. They were his friends, but he wasn't sure how they'd react when he told them the truth about his ordeals.

Shikamaru saw him first. 'Oi! Naruto! Over here!'

Naruto walked over, hands folded behind his head as normal. 'Yo.'

'Feeling better?' Sakura asked anxiously.

'Yeah… but you already healed me, Tsunade no baachan didn't really do anything but yell at me,' Naruto told them.

'Well, that's not unusual, she's always yelling at you for something,' Chouji said, laughing.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. 'Be quiet, you.'

He frowned suddenly. 'You realize that you all followed me into Sound territory?'

Neji shrugged. 'Hey, what's the worst that could happen? We've fought against Sound nin before, we can do it again. At least we're all together.'

'Yeah…' Naruto fell silent for a moment. 'There was something I wanted to tell you,' he said at last.

Sakura looked up at him, a sudden thought occurring. Maybe, just maybe, he was about to confide in them and tell them what had happened in the time that he had been missing…

Naruto sat down on the grass, drawing his knees up. There was a long silence as he plucked up the courage, and then he began to speak.

'I never ever saw their faces. They made sure that there was never enough light for that…

'Tsunade-sama, we've received word from the detention centre.'

Tsunade glanced up at Shizune. 'Really? What is it now?'

Shizune looked bewildered. 'They had a break in last night, Tsunade-sama. It seems that someone managed to penetrate their defenses and got inside the prison itself.'

Tsunade frowned. 'I've heard of people breaking out, but never in. What happened?'

'Mori Isamu and Murai Sachiko were killed.'

'What?' Tsunade stared at her assistant in shock. 'Dead?'

'Hai… and this is the most puzzling thing – guards say the person who broke in was a boy of around thirteen or fourteen, and all of them claim to have seen the same thing…'

Shizune's voice trailed off, and Tsunade said 'what did they see?'

'They claim the boy they saw – the one who broke in – had the sharingan…'

Tsunade stared at Shizune. 'Shizune… only one person survived the Uchiha massacre all those years ago. That could only mean –'

Tsunade turned to stare out of the window, a wondering expression on her face.

_Epilogue:_

_Naruto slid into bed, feeling at peace for the first time in weeks. Pulling up the covers, he reached out and turned off the lamp, watching as darkness shrouded his apartment. _

_Turning over, he hooked an arm over his pillow, and fell into a deep, dreamless, peaceful sleep, unaware of the shadow outside his window, watching._

_The moon rose, highlighting Kakashi's silver hair, but Naruto did not waken._


End file.
